17 June 2017

Palestinian militant groups deny Islamic State claim of Jerusalem attack
Palestinian militant factions denied on Saturday a claim by Islamic State that three Palestinian men who carried out a fatal shooting and stabbing attack in Jerusalem were members of the militant group. Islamic State took responsibility for the attack on Friday, in which one Israeli police officer was killed and another wounded, according to the group’s Amaq news agency.

Bennett tries to prevent peace process on Jerusalem
A special majority with eighty Knesset members would be needed to divide Jerusalem, according to a new bill for a Basic Law submitted Friday by Education Minister and Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett. The bill will be brought to a vote within two weeks in the Ministerial Committee on Legislation, which is headed by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, Bennett’s political ally. Shaked said in radio interviews that she expected Likud ministers to support the bill.

USS Fitzgerald crash: Seven navy crew missing off Japan
Seven US Navy crew members are missing after their ship collided with a merchant vessel off the coast of Japan. Among the injured is the USS Fitzgerald’s commanding officer, who was taken to hospital by helicopter. The destroyer collided with the container ship about 56 nautical miles (104km) south-west of Yokosuka.

Australia announces national gun amnesty
Australia is bringing in its first national gun amnesty since 1996 because of the growing terrorism threat and an influx of illegal arms in the country. During the three-month amnesty running from 1 July, people can hand in unregistered weapons without the fear of prosecution, the government says. Those caught outside that period face fines of up to A$280,000 ($212,730; £166,480) or up to 14 years in prison.

Robert Mueller expands special counsel office, hires 13 lawyers
Special counsel Robert Mueller has brought 13 lawyers on board to handle the Russia investigation, with plans to hire more, according to his spokesman Peter Carr.
Mueller has assembled a high-powered team of top investigators and leading experts, including seasoned attorneys who’ve represented major American companies in court and who have worked on cases ranging from Watergate to the Enron fraud scandal.

Cannabis industry org forms to “be ready” for national legalization
Cannabis is joining the ranks of the financial, advertising, real estate and alcohol industries with the formation of its first self-regulatory organization. The National Association of Cannabis Businesses (NACB) launched Thursday with a powerhouse leadership team and an ambitious plan: Develop and enforce national standards that will increase compliance and transparency, spur growth, and shape future federal regulations.

Putin: early to speak about retaliation against new U.S. sanctions: agency
Russian President Vladimir Putin said it was too early to speak about retaliation against a possible new round of sanctions that the United States is considering imposing on Moscow, state news agency RIA reported on Saturday. “We need to see how it is all going to be. That is why it is premature to speak publicly about our retaliatory actions,” RIA cited Putin as saying in an interview, parts of which were shown on Rossiya1 state TV channel on Saturday.

Germany threatens retaliation if U.S. sanctions harm its firms
Germany threatened on Friday to retaliate against the United States if new sanctions on Russia being proposed by the U.S. Senate end up penalizing German firms. The Senate bill, approved on Thursday by a margin of 98-2, includes new sanctions against Russia and Iran. Crucially, it foresees punitive measures against entities that provide material support to Russia in building energy export pipelines.

United Nations Wants to Outlaw “Cultural Appropriation” Worldwide
The UN wants to expand intellectual property regulations to include cultural entities and concepts, such as clothing, dances, arts, medicines, etc. The UN’s efforts would allow for legal action to be taken by minority groups against those who supposedly steal or monetize a piece of their culture.

Canada Criminalizes Use Of Wrong Gender Pronouns
Canada passed a law Thursday making it illegal to use the wrong gender pronouns. Critics say that Canadians who do not subscribe to progressive gender theory could be accused of hate crimes, jailed, fined, and made to take anti-bias training.